The Ministry of Health has identified health care workers as a priority population for Phase 1 of Ontario’s vaccination program. However, as we have seen, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine will initially exceed supply. As such, it has been necessary to create sub-priorities within the health care professions. To do this, the Ministry has created the COVID-19: Guidance for Prioritizing Health Care Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination. This document sets the order in which health care workers will be prioritized for vaccination. Health care workers are prioritized based on risk of exposure, patient populations served, and incidence of COVID-19 outbreaks. The categories are:
- Highest
- Very High
- High
- Moderate
Where you fall in this prioritization depends on your work setting, so we encourage you to review this document in detail.
It is also important to note that the vaccination program is being administered individually by the various Public Health Units in Ontario. As such, your eligibility to receive the vaccine will depend on your location. We encourage members to review information produced by their local Public Health Unit for more information.
For more COVID-19 information relevant to you as a member, please visit our Information and Resources on COVID-19 webpage. We also encourage you to visit The Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage for the health sector.
